Israel Adesanya reportedly pled guilty to a drunk driving charge in New Zealand on Sunday stemming from an incident that occurred three weeks before his latest UFC bout.
The New Zealand Herald on Sunday reported that the former UFC middleweight champion pled guilty to a “drink driving” charge of operating a vehicle in Auckland on Aug. 19 with 87 milligrams of alcohol in his system per 100 milliliters of blood, above the New Zealand legal limit of 50 milligrams per 100 milliliters of blood.
“I want to apologise to the community, my family and my team for the decision I made to get behind the wheel after drinking at dinner,” Adesanya reportedly said in a statement to The New Zealand Herald. “I was pulled over and gave an evidentiary blood test — the reading was 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.”
“I am disappointed with my decision to drive. It was wrong,” he added. “I know that people might follow me and I want them to know I do not think this behaviour is acceptable.”
According to the report, the maximum penalty for Adesanya’s charge is three months in jail or a fine of $4,500, which is roughly $2,680 USD.
Adesanya’s sentencing hearing is expected for Jan. 10, 2024.
Adesanya, 34, suffered a stunning defeat on Sept. 10 when Sean Strickland dominated him over 25 minutes to steal away the UFC middleweight title in a one-sided bout at UFC 293.
A two-time UFC middleweight champion, Adesanya has now lost two of his past three contests and is just 4-3 over his past seven octagon appearances.
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